As most of us would agree that the holidays are not just about eating, making resolutions and getting presents, but about giving, centering ourselves in relation to others and togetherness, what better way to give back to others than by planning our travel around these holiday themes of balance and goodwill? That’s right – travel as a way of giving back. Think about it as practice for all of those New Year’s Resolutions. Only this time, the resolutions aren’t simply to help you lose a few inches or to get out more; these resolutions will not only edify your person, but the lives of those less fortunate – a real treat for everyone involved!

So in addition to planning all of those resolutions involving traveling to the gym and/or communicating more often with friends and loved ones, how about activities that will enhance the lives of those immediately and severely in need. Activities such as food drives, volunteering in hospitals, Santa mail, and spending a few hours a week handing out food in a soup kitchen are all ways to give back this season – and also when the season ends – in a wonderful way!

Canned Food Drives

Food can drives are perhaps one of the easiest ways to give back, especially for those who, due to jobs or other commitments, may not have the hours to put into lending a hand by traveling to a specific location. And with many churches, community venues and youth organizations putting on can drives for the holidays, there are plenty of outlets for individuals wanting to get involved. One variation on this theme involves the care packages that some stores offer to their customers to purchase at set prices. These are often placed by registers or put together by scouts. All the customer needs to do is donate a specific amount and the pre-made packages, sometimes even with the money collected for the packages, then go to a local charity/food bank.

Hospital/Hospice Volunteers

One of the most heartbreaking realities, especially during the holiday season, is the fact that many people do not have friends or loved ones to wish them happy holidays or to spend time with them. While the rest of the world is consumed with the spirit of giving and the drive to reconnect and reach out to friends and family, many must accept the fact that this happens to be one of the hardest seasons for those who, for whatever reason, are alone.

Hospitals, hospices and homeless shelters are some of the busiest places this time of year, and also the places largely populated with people who happen to be alone.

There are many organizations, as well as hospitals themselves, that organize activities which can bring a bit of holiday cheer to someone in need. Whether reading bedtime stories to children or the elderly, assisting with arts and crafts at a senior center, putting on staged performances, or even Christmas caroling for the sick, there are plenty of ways to get involved and with minimal travel involved as well. Though those with big hearts might not mind the distance, there is also something very rewarding in helping out unfortunate individuals and families that happen are a part of your local community.

Santa Mail/Gift Giving/Secret Santa

Though most of the official Santa Mail drives hosted by the United States Postal Service and smaller venues have already reached their deadline for this holiday season, it’s never too late to pay it forward or simply gift a person in need with something to make the day – and the holiday – brighter! It can be as simple as your child bringing homemade brownies to school for his/her classmates, making baked goods or simple crafts for local groups that give gifts to shelters and the needy for the holiday season, giving a gift secretly or simply remembering to say thank you and smile to those you interact with on a daily basis!

Christmas Caroling

One of the great things about Christmas caroling is that, though there are plenty of groups and organizations out there to get involved with, this fun-filled activity is as simple as getting a group of friends and/or loved ones together and hitting the streets for a night of audible good cheer. And if no one wants to brave the night, the cold or possible embarrassment, you can always go Christmas caroling on your own, and perhaps even pick up some new friends along the way! The reason for this is that Christmas caroling, like karaoke, is more about camaraderie, togetherness and getting into the spirit of the event than being concerned about voice, tone and pitch! It’s about seeing the smiles of the faces of others, and about having a wonderful time!

Soup Kitchens

Soup kitchens are undeniably busy during the holiday season. Along with church groups and sponsored community events, there are homeless shelters and food banks as well that offer free meals to those in need year round. A wonderful way of giving back is to help out for a few hours or evenings – whatever your schedule might allow – and assist a community, school and/or youth group in feeding the hungry. As mentioned earlier, some groups and organizations accept food from the public as well, while others may have a need for people to help cook and prepare food before the actual task of serving it.

Whatever your role may be, and whatever it is that you and your family might choose to do in an effort to help those in need this time of year, the holiday season, as well as the “season of giving” that should be year round for those in need, is a great time to help make someone’s hardship or difficulty into a moment of universal love, peace and compassion.

The following websites can help you in your decision to help make life a bit brighter for someone in need. Happy Holidays!

• Feeding America: http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank/
• Food Kitchens: http://www.foodpantries.org/
• Volunteers of America: http://www.voa.org/volunteer
• Santa Mail: http://www.santamail.org/
• USPS Santa Mail: http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/holidaynews/2014/

USPS Operation Santa Participating Offices: http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/holidaynews/2014/pdf/operation-santa-post-offices-2014.pdf

The post Travel, Balance and Goodwill for the Holidays – and Beyond! appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

The holidays are a beautiful time of year when we can gather with our families to celebrate the joy of giving, but with kids’ gifts drawing the majority of spend during the holidays it’s all the more important to help kids understand just how fortunate they are.  That’s why it is important to keep kids grounded and focused on giving rather than getting during this holiday season.

Here are some tips from mom insider Laurie Schacht on how to teach your kids the joy of giving:

1. Charity Learn-A-Thon: Take some time this holiday season to teach your kids about some of the wonderful charities out there, and the important work they do. You can even turn it into a fun family trivia game by making flash cards that list charities’ descriptions and getting kids to guess the name of the organization. Then, encourage kids to think about which causes touch their hearts the most. Tykoon has over 75 charities listed on the site with descriptions so it’s a good place for kids to start picking up social awareness.

2. Experience the act of giving: Take a family outing during the holidays to volunteer at your kids’ favorite charities or at a soup kitchen.  This experience can give them a real sense for how important it is to help those in need, and can make lasting impressions and amazing family memories.

3. Pay it forward: It’s easy for kids to lose sight of just how lucky we all are during the holidays, especially as family members shower them with gifts. To help kids remember and share some of their joy with those less fortunate, try instituting a pay-it-forward policy for holiday gifts: For every gift your kids receive, encourage them to donate a certain number of minutes of their time to volunteer for or donate a few dollars to the cause of their choice.

4. It takes a village, so get it involved: Inform extended family and friends about your mission and get them involved! Work together to teach and encourage your kids to give. Consider having family match their contribution for donations and encourage kids to remember those in need.  

5. Manage cash gifts responsibly: Helping your kids manage their holiday cash gifts is a fantastic opportunity to start teaching them the basics of money and set them on the right track to a steady financial future. Help them practice money management skills by making sure that any cash gifts are managed responsibly, with pre-determined percentages going to savings and giving as well as spending.

6. Wishlists for others: When crafting holiday wishlists this year, encourage kids to add in items or donations for those in need, not just for themselves.

Tykoon is an online rewardbank for kids and parenting tool (Web & iOS) that makes it easy to connect with charities and apply all the tips above with built-in wishlists, savings trackers, task lists, direct donations and extended family sharing.  Tykoon allows your kid to determine how much they wish to allocate to giving, choose their favorite charities, and make parent-approved donations. They can earn virtual badges for their donations, and share their activity with parent-approved family and friends. These friends and family members can access the child’s ‘Wishlist’ on the Tykoon shop platform to treat your kids for their efforts.

The post Teaching Your Kids the Joy of Giving appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.